Air Canada has decided not to operate its Boeing 737 MAX on the new route between Montreal and Porto. The service, set to commence on June 4, will instead utilize the Airbus A330-300, which accommodates 285 passengers. Although the frequency of flights will decrease from four to three weekly, this change still results in a higher number of seats available each week.
The decision to replace the Boeing 737 MAX with the A330 was initially reported by Aeroroutes and is now reflected on Air Canada’s website and other aviation databases such as OAG and Cirium Diio. However, details about what adjustments have been made to free up the A330 or where the Boeing 737 MAX will be deployed remain undisclosed.
“At 2,780 nautical miles (5,149 km) each way and with a maximum block time of 7h 20m, Montreal to Porto was to be Air Canada’s longest MAX route in both senses,” according to reports. With this change, Halifax to London Heathrow becomes Air Canada’s longest route for the Boeing 737 MAX. This route first saw operations with the aircraft in April 2018 before a global grounding halted flights in March 2019. Service resumed in April 2022.
The list of Air Canada’s longest Boeing 737 MAX routes includes primarily domestic destinations and flights to the US and Mexico from Vancouver. Among them are routes like Vancouver to Miami and Vancouver to Cancun.
Air Canada currently operates a fleet of 43 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which are being transitioned from its mainline fleet into Rouge’s fleet. These planes have an average age of approximately 5.7 years since their introduction in October 2017.
Historically, some longer routes were operated by Air Canada’s Boeing 737 MAX aircraft but have since been discontinued. These include Toronto to Shannon at a distance of 2,772 nautical miles (5,134 km) and Calgary to Honolulu at 2,716 nautical miles (5,030 km).
